Studies, including work from Stanford, show that when parents and educators assume gender doesn’t matter, they often default to cultural habits — nudging boys toward math and science and girls toward language arts and social sciences without realizing it. Recognizing real differences doesn’t limit children or adults; it allows us to make more intentional, equitable choices that support individual strengths and needs.

This article is the second in a series designed to help parents, family members, educators, and community members better understand gender differences so we can more effectively support the children, youth, and families in our care. The first installment explored how boys and girls differ in the way they see the world. This piece turns to another essential sense–how they hear it.

Research shows that, on average, girls have more sensitive hearing than boys–and they are more easily bothered by background noise. In a classroom, a boy tapping his pencil may not even register the sound, while the girl sitting beside him may find it intensely distracting. Small adjustments, such as giving the boy a quiet fidget tool instead of a noisy pencil, can help teachers create an environment that works for everyone.

Studies from the University of Sheffield also reveal striking differences in how male and female brains process vocal sounds. Girls and women typically process voices in a specific region of the left cerebral hemisphere. Boys and men process lower�’pitched male voices in that same region, but they shift to the right hemisphere — the area associated with processing melody — when listening to higher�’pitched female voices. In practical terms, females tend to detect more nuance in tone, emotion, and vocal cues such as crying or distress. Males, by contrast, may miss subtle tonal shifts, including the “warning tone” many women assume is universally understood.

These differences have real�’world implications. To increase the likelihood of being heard clearly by boys and men, some women find it helpful to lower their vocal pitch, keep their tone steady, avoid rapid pitch changes, speak more loudly, and end sentences with a firmer inflection.

One source explains that the female voice is structurally more complex than the male voice. Differences in the size and shape of the vocal cords and larynx — and the naturally greater “melody” in many women’s voices — create a wider and more intricate range of sound frequencies. Because the male larynx sits lower in the throat, producing a longer vocal tract, the sound waves it generates travel farther. That longer wavelength results in a lower pitch, which is why men typically have deeper voices and a more pronounced Adam’s apple.

When we hear someone speak, the auditory system immediately begins analyzing the voice for cues about gender, age, and even aspects of appearance. The brain region that processes these vocal signatures sits toward the back of the head — sometimes referred to informally as the “mind’s eye” — and helps us rapidly “read” who is speaking based on sound alone.

A striking study from the University of Sheffield adds another layer to this picture: people who experience auditory hallucinations overwhelmingly report hearing male voices. Psychiatrists believe these hallucinations occur when the brain spontaneously activates the neural pathways involved in voice perception. One explanation for why the hallucinated voices are usually male is that the female voice, with its richer and more complex frequency patterns, is far harder for the brain to fabricate convincingly. In other words, the simplicity of the male vocal pattern makes it easier for the brain to generate a false voice.

How children hear has a direct impact on how they learn — at home and in the classroom. A soft�’spoken teacher (or parent), especially a woman, may not be heard by boys sitting in the back, leading to disengagement or disruption. Speaking more loudly or moving boys closer can make a meaningful difference. Boys often learn best through visual information — charts, diagrams, and images — while many girls excel as auditory learners who can listen and take notes effectively. When we overlook these auditory differences, we risk misinterpreting behavior as defiance, distraction, or disinterest — when in reality, the child simply cannot hear us the way we expect.

And a reminder: these are patterns, not prescriptions. No two boys or girls are exactly alike. Awareness of differences should help us support children, adolescents, and adults — not box them in. That can be challenging, especially because gender is one of the strongest sources of unconscious bias we carry. But acknowledging these tendencies allows us to be more intentional, more equitable, and more effective in how we teach and communicate.

If we want to support children and families well, we have to be willing to see them clearly. Acknowledging biological and developmental differences doesn’t divide us; it equips us. By understanding how boys and girls hear, process, and respond to sound, we can build classrooms and homes that honor their strengths and meet their needs.

Susan R. Madsen is the Extension Professor of Leadership at Utah State University and the founding director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project.